Passive mobility exercise and range-of-motion bed apparatus

Abstract

A passive exercise therapy station moves a patient's limb or body part through a prescribed range of motion without stress to the patient's limb or associated joints. A frame is formed of a pair of arches joined in parallel to one another, with a pair of overhead horizontal rails. One or more main cables extend over guide pulleys on the frame and past an adjustable guide carriage that travels along the overhead rails. An actuator positions the guide carriage at a desired location on the overhead rails. An exercise cable descends from the guide carriage to the patient. The exercise cable may be a web attached to the main cable. The exercise therapy station may be wheeled between rooms for therapy of a given patient.

Description

[0001]Priority is claimed, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 448,233, Mar. 2, 2011.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention concerns improvements to passive exercise therapy devices for patients, which can move a limb (or limbs) or body part of a patient through a prescribed range of motion without stress to the patient's limb or associated joints. This invention is an improvement to the type of passive therapy exercise apparatus that is disclosed in Klossner U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,605.[0003]In this type of apparatus a patient is positioned on a bed or similar resting place, and reciprocating cable or cables are attached to a harness or brace worn on the patient's arm, leg, wrist, knee, etc., to lift and lower that body part. The apparatus is worked so as to produce a controlled, rhythmic, repetitive relative motion of the cable in respect to the bed so that the patient's limb is moved through the prescribed range of motion.[0004]The device or...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]Accordingly, it is desired to provide a simpler design to the apparatus, in which the patient is situated at a normal bed height, and in which the patient's bed and the patient remain steady and stationary during the exercise therapy.

[0007]It is another object to provide a passive exercise therapy arrangement that can be transported from room to room in an exercise therapy clinic for the convenience of the patient and staff.

[0008]It is yet another object to provide a passive exercise therapy arrangement that can be wheeled in over an existing patient bed, so that the patient does not have to be moved from his or her bed to a separate therapy station in a separate room

Problems solved by technology

The device or apparatus that is described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,605 is, unfortunately, quite cumbersome and has several drawbacks.

This rocking motion can cause discomfort and nausea in some patients.

Images